Analysis of the responses to the public consultation on the integration and inclusion of migrants and people with a migrant background

Abstract

The public consultation on the integration and social inclusion of migrants and people with migrant background ran from 22nd July until 21st October 2020. The objective of the public consultation was to collect the views on a number of key aspects and identify priorities from a broad range of stakeholders. The consultation was open to all interested stakeholders from the public and private sectors, including national and local authorities, commercial and non-commercial organisations, experts, academics as well as EU and non-EU citizens. The public consultation was complementary to the targeted consultation meetings organised in parallel with different stakeholders. The results of the public consultation will feed into a new action plan on integration and inclusion as announced in the 2020 European Commission’s Work Programme and in the new Pact on asylum and integration. The integration and social inclusion of migrants are crucial not only to ensure the cohesion of our societies but also to address skills gaps, labour shortages, and to boost economic performance overall. The EU's competences in the area of integration are set out in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. While the EU has no competence to harmonise laws and regulations in Member States related to integration, the EU may provide various incentives and support for Member States to advance the integration of third-country nationals legally residing on their territory. The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union also sets out the EU's competence to support and complement Member States’ activities in combating social exclusion and poverty. The key documents setting out the scope for the EU action on integration of migrants are the 2004 common basic principles for immigrant integration with its 11 principles, including the respect for basic EU values, and the Commission's 2016 action plan on the integration of third-country nationals.